Poppies not flowering ! What’s happening?

Question

Hello! I currently have several Papaver somniferum poppies with my largest being Tasmanians. They sprouted in late October and are now huge. The average leaf is 6 inches across with the tallest being about 18 inches tall. I have them growing in pots but I do realize they sow better in ground. I have taken care of them very well and watered when the soil was dry at a fingers depth. They have great drainage and have been transplanted once but when they were very young to avoid root damage. I used fertalizer a couple times but I have flushed out as much nitrogen as I could over a period of time and have recently added phosphates to try and promote flowering. I don’t know what’s the reason for them not flowering. There isn’t even a flowering stem. There is just a lot foliage . Is it still too early for them since they grower slower in the cold? I live in southern California. If someone can ease my mind and let me know what could be happening , I’d really appreciate it.

Answer 1

At the time of planting or at the beginning of growing season, usually, spring (fall in warm frost-free climates), add a slow-release fertilizer to provide a steady supply of nutrition to plant during the whole season.

If you haven’t added a slow release fertilizer, start to feed the plant with balanced liquid fertilizer on a bi-weekly basis once the plant has exceeded the height of 5 inches or when new growth emerges in spring. You can also feed the plant with flower fertilizer during the flowering period. Stop the application of fertilizer once the growing period ends.

Also, poppies are prone to magnesium and iron deficiency, application of Epsom salt is recommended.

Also I can’t see the pot depth, Poppies have a long tap root and a tall pot is best.